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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Keeping it all straight

Where does time go? This time of year is always SOOOO crazy! Although I've been immersed in technology, I just haven't had the time to sit down and share things that we've been doing in my class. Hoping that over the next couple of weeks, things will slow down a bit (excluding parent-teacher conferences) and I can start blogging more about the adventures we are having this year with our 1:1 iPad classroomA little teaser in the meantime though...I have been pondering a way to better show the kids the apps that I would like them to use during math workshop or Daily 5 time. Many of my kiddos are good at remembering or simply have their favorites that they always seem to go to, but I also have those kiddos that need a visual. The chart below is my solution (not kid tested, but will be after tomorrow).

This was simple and very inexpensive to make. I simply found pics of the various apps we are/will be using this year and then sized them (approx 3x3), printed them off and laminated them. I then purchased a piece of black poster board, foam squares (from the $1 store) and used some velcro dots that I got for cheap off of eBay. I used a white and gray crayon to add the iPad details, glued on the foam squares (cut to 4x4), and then added velcro dots to the foam squares and the backs of the app icons. I left the home row area empty as I plan to use bright colored, precut letters for a catchy title. Any great ideas????My plan is to add the apps as I introduce them so students can see which apps they are able to use that particular day. This won't include the ones we use daily as a class (weather, calendar, etc), just the ones that they will be using during their independent work time. I'm hoping that this anchor chart will help to keep everyone working independently during Daily 5 time while providing the visual cues that some of my autistic children and focus issue kids need.

2 comments:

That's cool Sara. My question is , once you've introduced an app to your students why do you need to not let them use it if it's one that they feel best meets their needs? Right now I am slowly introducing different activities (both technology and non technology based) with the plan that soon I won't have to rotate them through the different activities, they will just choose the one that works best for them. I want to step away from controlling what they are doing, and encourage them to make those choices for themselves. Karen

Hi Karen,,Great question! I probably didn't explain my thinking clearly. I agree whole-heartedly that once an app is introduced I want my kiddos to have access to it and to also be able to determine if it's one that meets their needs or is the right tool for the job. I am fortunate enough to have quite a few apps on my iPads right now and this has been a great way for this time of year, to help us know/remember which ones have been introduced. I have several students who need visual schedules or cues and this has helped them tremendously. Last year my kiddos did great without this type of organizer but they were my initial group and the app library grew along with them. My plan is to eventually phase this out or use it strictly for displaying new apps as we introduce them. :-)